You’re not crazy, and it’s OK to feel tired.

That was the message shared by First 5 Santa Barbara County on Wednesday during an Ed Talk about how students and parents can cope in a world where news can feel constant and unrelenting.

The seminar featured speakers from the organization and an expert in sociology and economics. The event focused on how to help kids and parents navigate current events and the changing world.

Wendy Sims-Moten, the executive director of First 5, acknowledged that things seem to be changing rapidly and can feel relentless. She said moments such as these are when the community needs to work together.  

“The question before us isn’t just how we respond to disruption. It’s how we respond with intention, with the shared goal of building equitable and just communities where everyone, especially our youngest children and their families, can thrive,” Sims-Moten said.

Michelle Robertson, the deputy director of First 5, added that the nation feels like it is at a pivotal point in its history. She added that everyone, regardless of their political affiliation, probably feels overwhelmed and tired.

Robertson said the feeling can be stressful for adults but also can be hard on young children who cannot express themselves well.

For adults, Robertson suggested finding ways to relax or sit with negative emotions to understand feelings. She said adults should embrace the idea of play, the way a child does, and find beauty and meaning in life.

“Play doesn’t stop at a certain age. Play is how humans make sense of the world, find meaning and purpose, and contribute to the positivity rather than the negativity,” Robertson said.

Manuel Pastor, a professor of sociology and American studies and ethnicity, was the keynote speaker for the seminar. He has written books on economics and social movements.

In his address, Pastor said that even though current events can feel sudden, the current climate has been building for years.

He pointed to people who lost their homes during the Great Recession and later saw large companies being bailed out.

He added that a desire for change led to the election of President Barack Obama, which was met by the rise of the Tea Party movement and eventually the election of President Donald Trump.

The death of George Floyd led to calls for racial change and then caused a backlash that led to the re-election of Trump, according to Pastor. Overall, he said he believes those events led to a loss of confidence in the government and the economic system.

“It’s important to focus in on the last four months, which have certainly been tumultuous, but to recognize that this moment of stress that Michelle was pointing to has been built on decades of trauma,” Pastor said.

He stressed the need to address financial inequality and encourage communication that leads to people depending on one another.

Part of the interdependence that he believes is overlooked is young people and immigrants, both of whom pay into services such as Social Security and provide care for older citizens.

He ended by encouraging the creation of community and making an effort to communicate with people by listening and creating dialogue.

“Figure out how you can recruit your friends and neighbors and allies and people who are part of this First 5 family, and how you can understand that working with the government to do good is one of our highest callings to protect our communities,” Pastor said.